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Tabaxi
"It does not matter to Tabaxi how strong or smart one is. It only matters what one can do." 'Sivahr, first son of Miril', was granted a gift from his mother. A great and vast garden, one rich with plant-life and fruits and animals in what would become to be known as Inatiav. But this garden would need life to sustain it, and guardians to protect it. With his great claws, he tore open the mountains to the east, and with his own blood created the three great rivers that would give life to all that drank from them. Places of peace where the elephant could drink with the lion. And from those rivers were born the Tabaxi.'' History Origin: And thus were born the Tabaxi. Apex predators and protectors of that savannah and forest. Quick, intelligent and charming. But Sivahr always tested his creations as they were growing and learning, often with treks to the south where they first encountered the Loxodon, elephant-like humanoids who rose from the plains rather than the rivers, but bore ancient knowledge, and in trade for resources gave in return the gift of the beginnings of arcane knowledge. Travelling along the rivers, the Tabaxi quickly became master boatmen and fishers and were able to get upstream towards the mountains. And it was there they found another race, the Dwarves, born from the stones themselves, and in trade with them learned the gift of metalwork.Sivahr looked at his children and smiled, at first. As they grew and learned, however, they began to separate themselves for foolish reasons. Those with the thicker manes formed their own communities, versus those with spots, versus those with stripes, versus those with rosettes, and so on, and began to fight among themselves. This displeased Sivahr, and in his fickle nature decided to make this known to his Tabaxi. Severe drought first crippled the lands, drying up any crops and even the rivers began to flow less. Suffering for this through summer months, it was followed by a massive earthquake that made the very mountains themselves erupt in fire. And to make sure his fury would be known, Sivahr called in a great hurricane from the west that made his blood, the rivers, boil as they flowed backwards and flooded the lands. Half the Tabaxi perished over the course of 6 months. The Tabaxi, however, learned their lesson from Sivahr and instead of separating, once again rejoined with each other, forming towns and then cities along the three great rivers. A few generations went by, bloodlines were mixed, and things like physical appearance didn't matter anymore; rather it was merit and earning one's place that mattered. However, peace was not to last. On one night, one single night on a moonless, clouded evening, Hobgoblins, armies of them, a legion, rose from the grounds, a hidden city they had been working on since then mountains erupted and tore through the Tabaxi cities. Having no formal military, the Tabaxi, despite their gifts from Sivahr were little match, and became enslaved, along with the Ratfolk that the Hobgoblins brought along with them. The male Tabaxi were forced to work for resources and the females were forced to take care of the young and maintain things. Sivahr took pity on his guardians and while he could not directly interfere, he began to whisper to his daughters. The mothers, the caretakers, the child-bearers, the true hunters of the Tabaxi. He offered them secrets. During the time of slavery, the Tabaxi were afforded little 'luxury' but one of the things they could do was dance. And it was through this dance that Sivahr's whispers of secrets, teaching how to spin and dance... and use weapons while doing so, all to make it look like part of a show. And thus were born the beginnings of the Makhla of Sivahr... A few generations went by in misery, slaves under the Hobgoblins, but Sivahr told his children to be patient. And they were. On one night, almost exactly like the night the Hobgoblins came, the Tabaxi struck back. With assistance from the Loxodon from the south also seeking to throw their yokes of slavery off, in one single night, the Hobgoblin leadership was taken out by these elite female warriors, the Mahkla, throwing the Hobgoblins into disarray, and allowing the rest of the population to rise up, and over the course of the next month free the rest of their people and driving the Hobgoblins away. It was after this time that Sivahr introduced brothers to the Tabaxi, the Sanur, that resembled housecats but with all the intelligence of the Tabaxi and gifted with arcane blessings, said to have risen from the rivers like the Tabaxi had themselves ages ago. Formation of the Great Cities: As generations passed, the Tabaxi formed into more formalized cities, ruled by a Sultinate and developing a caste system based on merit, rather than birth, i.e. one could move between the castes, to a degree. The Makhla, given the lack of a standing army prior and after what had been experienced, became an elite, female-only fighting force to stand beside and regulars. Between the dwarven knowledge of stone and the wisdom of the Loxodon to the south, the Tabaxi were able to harness the rivers themselves, still keeping them pure, but also allowing them a way to establish clean aquaducts and the like for actual running water, so Sivahr's blood of life would be available to all. The caste system had 4 levels within it: 1. Royalty, the chosen of Sivahr 2. The priests of Sivahr. The Makhla. People with magical talent 3. The merchants, laborers, vendors, fishers, hunters, farmers, etc 4. the Ratfolk. The lowly workers. Those that deal with the dead. Unlike other caste systems, one could move through the castes either up or down, depending on sheer ability alone. If one was able to do the job, one was given the rights thereof. Legend even speaks of one Ratfolk female that worked her way to be one of the Makhla (her armor hangs in a special place in the capital city). The castes generally did not deal with each other unless needed and for everyday interactions, but there was also no general disregard from upper to lower (with individual exception), as all had their place in the order which allowed them all to survive. Meeting the rest of the world: As the Tabaxi and its culture began to grow, they began to explore more. Having already established relations with the Loxodon ages ago, they were more than willing to assist with troops and supplies for their seemingly enternal battle against a new enemy, Orcs, from across the sea and the jungles that lay there. The dwarves in the meantime had managed to open the rivers that flowed through the mountains and with the Tabaxi river knowledge, the Tabaxi were able to go east into Galirede and start having their presence and influence known. And also start to trade, as the Tabaxi had access to meats, fish, spices, fruits and vegetables that the rest of the world had never known of. Needless to say, this granted a lot of economic influence and allowed other cultures to influence the Tabaxi and vise versa. In recent years, however, this had led to an incident. A few years ago, the Sultinate was overthrown in a 'bloodless coup' that involved the military but no fighting over economic issues between the castes. While bloodless, the Sultan, his wife and their only son have not been seen since the coup. The current rulership is a council made up of the Priests of Sivahr, the leader of the magical training, the head of the Mahkla, and several Pashas (merchant guild leaders), and a representative for one of the typically 'unknown' guilds to the average Tabaxi, the Royal Assassins. Religion and Culture: Sivahr is the main god of the Tabaxi. While they recognize that other gods exist (denial of their existence is impossible), they consider him the Creator, and he allows their priests access to all domains. It is exceedingly rare for a Tabaxi to follow another god in lieu of Sivahr. The basis for Sivahr's worship is based on one's own deeds and how they have proven themselves to not only be survivors but also help others survive, especially after everything that the Tabaxi had been through. So while strength and intelligence are revered, it is all in it how it is used which makes the difference in Sivahr's eyes, even if one is lacking. Rivers are absolutely sacred. They are Sivahr's life blood, and the Tabaxi have 3 in particular they hold dear. Pahala Mod, the northern river, Sivahr's Dewclaw. Doosara Kata, the Second Claw, and finally to the furthest south, the Teesara Kat, the Third Claw. It is also said that every generation of Tabaxi has one individual that is 'chosen' by Sivahr. This prophet may not always be known and not speak Sivahr's words, but will perform Sivahr's desired actions. Twice per day, every Tabaxi performs a ritual. Either at dawn and before dusk, or for those with odd schedules (like military and such) before bedding down and upon waking. A bow is given in the direction of the sun as the Tabaxi lays down like a kitten before its parent and prays, however long it takes, from a few minutes to an hour. And after, about 1/4 cup or so of water is poured down down the center of the torso at the neck, a sign of cleansing and having Sivahr's life blood being with them. As part of their religion, the Tabaxi generally do not speak of Sivahr by name unless they are considered worthy of him (like among the priesthood and upper echaleon of nobility), he is otherwise referred to as Father or Creator. As such, many Tabaxi actually refer to themselves in the 3rd person in a twisting of that habit, only saying 'I' and 'me' for those that feel they have proven themselves enough to do so. The Mahkla, the elite soldiers of the Tabaxi, is comprised entirely of female warriors that use dance as a large part of their fighting ability, their swirling motions, like the winds and the waves on the rivers, confounding enemies and making them vulnerable, largely specializing in things like swords, staves, spears, and even just claws alone. Those that have earned their place to be among them are revered as much as the priests of Sivahr as they are the protectors, the front lines of the Tabaxi, and often have both priests and magic-users among their units. While not master sailors like the Anubians, the Tabaxi are master river boatmen and trade is a huge part of their culture. Coin is just as important as value of an object, so trade happens as often as 'paying' for something. This trade, however, is what has allowed the Tabaxi to get their influence into the rest of the world, eager to learn and share. They tend to base their perceptions of other races on individuals rather than another race as a whole, given their proclivity for basing things on personal merit. When it comes to their cuisine, Tabaxi are largely carniverous and pescatarian, but they do have their fair share of vegetables and odd fruits, and powerful spices that are harvested from the savannah. Tabaxi music is generally one of two things. Alyrical, flowing, soft, almost hypnotic like the flow of the rivers that they hold so far. But in times of celebration of war, the music would be fierce and all over not unakin to crazy jazz.